The Baltimore County Democrat believes a measure decriminalizing small amounts could be added to a medical marijuana bill that already has passed the House of Delegates.

The House has passed the medical marijuana bill, but the Senate's decriminalization bill is lingering in the House Judiciary Committee where it died last year. That committee has scheduled a hearing on the Senate bill for April 1.

Zirkin says lawmakers won't "trade commitments," and he prefers for the bills to remain separate. But he thinks it would be inappropriate to pass one and not the other.

Zirkin also criticized the House's medical marijuana bill for only licensing 10 growers. He says it could create a monopoly, as he believes state gambling laws have done.

The medical marijuana bill that passed the House of Delegates this week allows individual doctors to be certified to prescribe marijuana to some critically ill patients. The marijuana would be grown and dispensed by 10 licensed growers.

Earlier this week, Dr. Paul Davies, who heads the Maryland Medical Marijuana Commission, told WBAL News that he was worried critically ill patients would have limited access to marijuana under the House bill.

The chairman of the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee, Democrat Brian Frosh says combining the two bills could be risky, noting the House Judiciary Committee Chairman Joe Vallario might not let that bill get a committee vote. Vallario opposes decriminalization of marijuana.

"I strongly support the decriminalization bill, but I'm afraid we're going to hit a wall in the House on that, if we tie the two together we may lose both the medical marijuana bill and the decriminalization bill," Frosh told WBAL News.

Frosh says that he expects his committee to vote a medical marijuana bill out of committee early next week.